Differential gearing.



H. W.' ALBEN.y DIPFLRBNTIALl BEARING.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT 7 1912 Patented May 27, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. W. ALBEN.

DIFFERENTIAL GBARING.

. cases,

HERBERT W. ALBEN, OF DETROIT,

AIiE COMPANY, OF

MicriisAN,"AssiGNoE `To THE TIMKEN-DETEOTT nETEoiT, MIGHIGANfA vCORPORATION or onio.

DIFFERENTIAL ernannte."Y

Specification of Letters Patent.l

ratentediuay 27, 1913.

Application led September 7 1912. Serial-No. 719,241.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT `W. ALBEN, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident ofthe city of.' Detroit, in the county of IVayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful-Improvement in'Differential Gearing, of which thefollowing is a specification.

. This invention relates to `lock mechanism for differential gearing of automobiles.

Differential gearing locks have been heretofore provided on automobiles. In some cases, the device is so constructed and arranged` standstill and the driver or a second person has to throw in the lock from outside the transmission clutch 'is off. In othercases, the lock mechanism is operated from the drivers seat, and it is possible to throw in the lock while the engine. is running and the transmission clutch is on and probably one wheel is lagging. In the first mentioned there is the inconvenience of having to stop the .vehicle and getting out to eect the lock. In the latter cases, there is a tremendous strain set up vinstantly in all the. the differential mechanism withthe result that the mechanism becomes damf aged and soon goes to pieces; and it-is im-v parts of practicable to build such mechanism heavy enough to withstand this strain. Furthermore, unless leasing the differential lock before the yehicle makes a turn, the tires `will soon -wear out.

The present invention has for its rincipal objects to produce a -dierential loc mechanism which may be' operated from the drivers seat and vantages above set forth; to provide against throwing the llock accidentally inJor outV while the transmission clutch is on; to provide forthe automat-ic release of the lock as said clutch is thrown off ;l and toat-t-ain certain advantages which will hereinafter more fully appear. Y s

The invention consists in the parts and in i .the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they, occur,-Figure 1 is a plan view of an automobilev frame and driving mechanism,

that the car must be brought to a viously connected with some provision is made forre` adaptedl to be thrown on will overcome thedisad-j` showing an adaptation of the invention;` Fig. 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal vertical section, showing the transmission clutch members; and

Fig. 8 is a view on an enlarged scale, showv.ing the differential gearing in horizontal section and the locking and controlling members in. top plain. i v

.The invention is applicable to any type of dierential mechanism. For purpose of illustration, the lock is shown in connection n with a bevel gear differentialA mechanism. Tliefdiiferential mechanism is mounted in an axle casing 1, on whose outerend portions thedrivingwheels W are journaled. The divided axle shaft sections 2,1 extend through this casing and have their outer end lportions suitably fixed to the respective wheels so as to impart motion thereto. The inner end portions of the axle shaft sections 2, 3, are keyed in the hub portions of the op# positely disposed differential bevel gears 4, l

5, which are j ouriialed in a housing 6. Bevel -pinions 7 meshing with the geaijsi, 5, are

titted'rotatably von studs 8 carried by the housing 6. The housing 46 is mounted on antifriction bearings- 9 and'I it is provided with a bevel driving gear 10 which meshes with a bevel pinion 11 on the end of the propeller'shaft 12. The propeller shaft is oblspeed transmission gearing'T, which latter is connected with thecrank shaft- S of the motor M by` a releasable clutch member C. In practice, the releasable transmission clutch lmember is usually arranged and by a spring and isreleased or thrown off by a foot lever or edal.,l The brake lever is also usually 'connectedwith the mechanism so that it effects the release of the clutch when moved in the .direction to set the brakes. These arrangements are obvious and well known and, therefore, for the purpose of illustrating theI present invention, only the foot lever is shown it being understood that the transmission clutch is" thrown off when said foot lever is moved forward.v i

The clutch member C, as/shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is keyed slidably on a transmission shaft T1 land is releasably held, by a spring C1', in engagement with a counterpart clutch seat C2 in the iiy' wheel S1 which is fixed on the crank shaft S. This clutch member C is provided with the. usual annularlyi:`

a suitable changeable whereupon the lock is grooved 'collar C@ with shipper yoke C4 fastene verse rock-shaft C5;

which coperates a and 'on this rock-shaft is also fixed the foot lever or pedal.` 'lhe foot lever or pedal is indicated at 13 and is connected by a rod 14 to one arm of a bellcrank latch 4member 15. The opposite arm of the latch member is provided with an angular projection or hook 16. This portion 16 is adapted toengage behind the end portion of a horizontal lever arm 17 of the differential lock mechanism as shown in Athe drawing so as to hold the lock clutch in on position.A It ifs also adapted to move in front of said lever arm 17 in the 01T position of the lock clutch as will presently appear. The lever arm 17 is connected by a rod 18 to a foot lever or pivoted on said rock-shaft C6 and will hereinafter be' referred to as the lock pedal.

The lever arm 17 is fastened to a vertical rock shaft 20 which is suitably journaled in the axle casing adjacent t-o the differential gearing. On this shaft is fastened a second lever arm 21 whose free end portion is arranged and adapted to engage the annularly grooved portion 22 of a clutch sleeve 23- which is feather-keyed on thel driving axle shaft section 2. This clutch sleeve is provided with fingers or locking portions 24 adapted to engage like portions or counterpart recesses at the end of the hub por-- tion 25 ofthe differential gear housing 6.

The lever arm 17 is provided with a spring 26 which isadapted to withdraw the lock clutch sleeve 23 from engagement with the differential gear housing when thepedal 19 is released; and a stop 27 is provided on the axlle casing for the lever arm in the off position. By this arrangement,` the latch member 15 being `moved so that its hook or projection 16 is vclear of the lever arm 17, the spring 26 always pulls the lock clutch oli' unless the pedal 19 is held forward by the drivers foot. Hence, assuming that the lock clutch has been thrown on and the transmission clutch is also on, the parts bein in the position shown in the drawing, the rst time the driver presses the pedal 13 to release the clutch member C in slowing down to make a turn, the latch member 15 is moved so as to clear the lever arm 17, vthrown oli" byl the spring 26. Should the driver release the pedal 13 so as to throw on the transmission clutch before the differential lock has again been thrown on, the linger or hook 16 of the y latch member will be in front of the lever arm 17 and consequently the lock cannot be thrown on until the pedal 13 is moved forward under pressure of the drivers foot. It is Ithus apparent that the differential lock cannot be thrown on accident-ally while the propeller shaft is clutched to and being driven by the engine crank shaft; and'that d tight on a trans-I pedal 19, which is looselyA Atial gearing, a movable diderential gearing,

incase the driver throws on thedilferential lock and lets on the transmission clutch and able'modilication without depart-ing from Therefore, I do not Wish torso the invention. be limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown.

What I claim is: 1. The combination with a releasable transmission clutch member, of a differenlocking element adapted to lock lthe differential gearing, and means for shifting said locking element into and out of locking position, said means being inoperative while the transmission clutch member is engaged.

2. The combination With 'a releasable transmission clutch member, of a differenadapted to lock the differential gearing, means for shifting said locking element into and out of locking position, said means being inoperative while the transmission clutch member is engaged, and means for effecting the release of said locking element automatically as the transmission clutch member is released.

3. The combination with a transmission clutch lever adapted to throw off the releasable .clutch member when moved in one direction, of 'a differential gearing, a movable locking element adapted to lock the a lever mechanism for shift-ing said locking element into and out of locking position, and a locking element` for said lever mechanism, said second mentioned locking element being connected with said transmission clutch lever so as to release the lever mechanism as said transmission clutch lever is moved to throw off the clutch and whereby also said lever mechanism is rendered inoperative while the transmission clutch is on.

4:. The combination with a releasable transmission clutch member and two divided driving shaft sections, of a differential gearing connecting the inner ends of said driving shaft sections, a locking element mounted on one of said shaftA sections so as to be movable longitudinally thereon, but being fixed to rotate therewith, said locking element being adapted for engagement with Y one of the elements of the differential gearing so as to lock said gearing, a lever mecha-- msm for shifting said locking element into a movable locking element and out of locking position, and a lock for said lever mechanism, said second mentioned lock being connected to saidA transmission clutch member so that said lever mechanism is inoperat-ive while the transmission clutch 1s on.

`5. The combination 'with a releasable transmission clutch member and two divided driving shaft sections, of a differential gearing connecting the inner ends of said vdriving shaft sections, a locking element mounted on one of said shaft sections so as to bemovable longitudinally thereon, but being fixed to rotate therewith, said locking element being adapted for engagement with one of the elements of the differential gearing so as to lock said gearing, a lever mechanism for shifting said locking element into and out of locking position, a lock for said lever mechanism, said second mentioned lock 'being connected to said transmission clutch member so that said lever mechanism is inoperative while the transmission clutch is on, and means for throwing off the differential gearing lock automatically as t-he transmission vclutch is thrown off. l

6. The combination with a releasable transmission clutch member, of a divided driving shaft, a differential gearing connecting with, said locking element being adapted to engage yone of the elements of said differential gearing so as to lock said gearing, actu ating mechanismor said locking element including a lever arm, a stop, a spring for withdrawing said locking element and yieldingly holding said lever armagainst said .stop when said locking element is out of llocking position, an operating lever conneet-ed to said'lever arm; and a locking element adapted to lock said leverarm both in on and foil positions, said locking element for the lever arm being connected with the transmission clutch member so that the actuating mechanism for the locking element for-the dierential gearing is inoperative while the transmission clutch is von and whereby also the lever arm is released automaticallv as said transmission clutch is thrown o Signed at Detroit, Michigan, this 31 dayof August, 1912. l

HERBERT WV. ALDEN. Witnesses: LESLIL WILLIAMS,

HARVEY L. WEDLAKE. 

